Ms. Rachel and Ms. Sara began storytime with "the HELLO song" and then led the audience through an activity called “I’m Making a Blanket For Baby”.
This activity pairs songs we know ... with picture-squares we know ... and we create a "singing" quilt.YOU’RE ALL MY FAVORITES Mama and Papa Bear declare. Baby bears worry, "We can't ALL be the best."WHERE SHALL WE GO? by Nanadini Nayar.
Sameer is out of school for the week and packing his vacation bag. Mama guesses where they are going based on the clues going into the bag.

Thinking about entering this year’s “Write On!” Short Story Contest for 3rd-5th grade, but not sure where to start? What are short stories supposed to be about, anyway?
Good news! That's the fun part about writing - YOU get to decide. It can be scary, funny, silly, or sad. All you need is an idea! Now... where can you find one of those?!

On Monday, February 2 in a snowed in Chicago The American Library Association (ALA) today announced the top books, video and audio books for children and young adults – including the Caldecott, Coretta Scott King, Newbery and Printz awards – at its Midwinter Meeting. A hotly anticipated day for librarians, publishers, and lovers of youth and teen literature the awards the announcements culminate a year's worth of reading, listening and watching by a wide variety of librarians and educators all over the country. Over the years the variety of awards given out has grown to cover

All third, fourth, and fifth grade writers may now submit their stories to the third annual "Write On!" Short Story Contest! Just type up your story and either send it to youngwrite@aadl.org or bring it to the Youth Desk at the Downtown Branch! Story submissions will be accepted 2/9-2/27. Check out the guidelines and contest website for more information!

If writing a story straight from your head seems tough, try out a couple of these goofy story-starters to get your ideas flowing!

The only thing worse than stepping in grape jelly is...This morning I woke up and thought, "Aw pickles." Dragons don't make very good pets...When I walked into science class today, I didn't expect...Something sounded like two million cats practicing karate...

Peter Brown, author and illustrator of the popular and fabulous picture book Mr. Tiger Goes Wild, brings us a new bit of fun in My Teacher is a Monster. In this picture book Bobby has a big problem at school. Her name was Ms. Kirby. She was the meanest teacher who stomped and roared and did not allow paper airplanes in class. She was a monster. But then one day something happens and Bobby sees her in a whole new light.

The book is delighfully illustrated in true Brown fashion, and would be a fun read whether your teacher roars or not.

Are you curious about how huge buildings like the John Hancock Center, the Eiffel Tower and the Chrysler Building were constructed? I know I am, and I’ve always been interested in the architectural feats that keep such towering structures upright for—in some cases—over a hundred years. The amazing new book Who Built That? Skyscrapers, by Didier Cornille, is an introduction to familiar skyscrapers and their architects geared towards kids… but absolutely fascinating for all ages!

My favorite part of the book are the amazing illustrations that show different stages of construction of each building, including the inside skeleton and the frame, so readers can find out how the structure manages to stand so tall. It is so cool to see! Readers can also learn a little bit about each architect including what inspired them to build the featured structure, and what other unique buildings they constructed during their careers.

Young writers in 3rd-5th Grade may now view the 2015 "Write On!" Short Story Contest Guidelines! The "Write On!" Short Story Contest is now three years old and has received a total of 200 submissions from previous years! Keep the stories coming, writers of Ann Arbor and beyond!

"When Roger started out for school, his mother set a simple rule. She said, "Now Roger, you go straight-- straight to class and don't be late!" Roger tried hard to obey, he knew that he should not delay. He shouldn't wander or explore, but then he came upon a store..."

In The Boy Who Cried Fabulous by Leslea Newman, Roger is a quirky boy who has trouble going to and from school. The reason? He can't help but become side-tracked by all of the fabulous things he sees! When Roger finds himself late for school (again!), his parents ban him from saying the word 'fabulous' anymore. What will Roger do when he can no longer explore "a world too wondrous to ignore"?

The Boy Who Cried Fabulous is a funny rhyming story about curiosity and accepting others differences. The illustrations are vibrant and bright, and become more and more outlandish as the story continues. Other fabulous titles from Leslea Newman include Donovan's Big Day, Just Like Mama, and Dogs, Dogs, Dogs!

Featured Events

10th Annual LEGO Contest!

It wouldn’t be summer at AADL without our annual LEGO contest! We’re celebrating 10 years, and it’s going to be 10-tastic! You can drop off your best LEGO project (make sure to read the rules here) on Thursday, August 6 between 9-3 pm at Kensington Court, then come back to see all the entries at 6 pm. Be sure to stay for the awards ceremony at 8 pm, where we’ll give awards in six age categories. Don’t miss the most brick-tastic event of the year!

Find out about all of the library's fun stuff for kids with AADL's parent page! JUMP is your stop to find recommended stuff for kids and learn about upcoming library events. Parents can also get information to plan their visit to the library an even find out about resources to help kids with their homework. It's all at jump.aadl.org!